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MANHEIM – There are no moral victories in the postseason. Only better opportunities for improvement, harsh realities and valuable lessons.

Under changeable skies on Saturday morning at Manheim Central High School’s Elden Rettew Field, Annville-Cleona experienced all the things afforded an underdog in the postseason, during a 4-0 loss to powerful Hempfield, in the quarterfinal round of the Lancaster-Lebanon League playoffs. After fighting the Black Knights to a score-less stand-off in the first half, the Little Dutchmen succumbed to four Hempfield tallies in the second half.

With the outcome very much in the balance, the Black Knights picked up a pair of goals from junior midfielder Kaitlin Deck during a 1:16 span early in the second half. The billed ‘David-versus-Goliath’ struggle lasted for about 50 minutes.

With the result, Annville-Cleona, the runner-up out of Section Four, slipped to 11-6-1 on the year. Currently situated third in the power rankings, the Little Dutchmen will see their next action in the upcoming District Three Class A tournament.

Hempfield, the champions of Section One, moved to 11-5-1 and into Tuesday’s semifinal round of the Lancaster-Lebanon League postseason.

“If we stopped the season right now, our girls have been successful, and I’m proud of everything we’ve done,” said Annville-Cleona head coach John Myers. “We have more work to do. This was a success for us. It was a loss, but we played our game and we found out what it takes to play to a higher level.

“I think we’ve had a great season,” continued Myers. “These girls have a lot to be proud of. I’m happy if they let us fly under the radar. I know what happens when you overlook an opponent.”

Annville-Cleona was certainly more competitive during the first 40 minutes of play, despite the fact that it didn’t generate a first-half shot. By winning the individual battles, the Black Knights enjoyed the better of the play, but didn’t generate all that many dangerous opportunities.

The Little Dutchmen ultimately registered their first – and only – shot 1:44 into the second half.

“I’m proud of the way our kids played,” said Myers. “We held them (the Black Knights) to zero-zero in the first half, and that’s against a quad-A team. We’ve had a lot of injuries. That wasn’t our full varsity team. But we played our game, which is possessing and passing.

“We go into every game expecting to play our perfect game,” Myers continued. “It doesn’t matter who we play. We don’t have expectations for opponents. I thought they (his players) played very well.”

How the second half unfolded may have been more a case of Hempfield elevating its game than Annville-Cleona downgrading its.

A mere 9:37 into the second half, Deck collected a seemingly innocent loose ball in the middle of A-C territory and unleashed a curling 30-yard, right-footer that beat Little Dutchmen netminder Alyssa Ulrich to the upper right-hand corner of the net. It to0k Deck and the Black Knights just over a minute to add to their 1-0 edge.

Ulrich charged off her mark to challenge a Hempfield forward, and the ball sqirted past her towards the open Annville-Cleona net. Following the play, Deck was there, and made sure that the ball found twine.

“I thought she did everything she could,” said Myers of Ulrich’s effort in goal. “She was aggressive when she needed to be. Certainly the goals weren’t her fault.

“This probably was one of the biggest and most physical teams we’ve played,” Myers added. “For us, it was the best team we played all year, without a doubt.”

Hempfield extended its lead to 3-0 with 17:51 remaining. After Ulrich had come up with a spectacular sprawling save, Black Knight Johnna Adams was there to send home the rebound.

The Black Knights’ final tally resulted from another well-placed shot – this one off the right foot of junior midfielder Sophie Herman – and again to the upper right-hand corner of the Annville-Cleona goal. It was 4-0 with 7:43 remaining.

“I would’ve liked to possess the ball in the neutral third a little more,” said Myers. “But I was proud of the opportunities we did have. Our kids now know what it takes to improve. This was a huge learning experience. But we need to play the same game every time out.

“Their (the Black Knights’) biggest presence was number 25 (Herman),” added Myers. “She owned the middle of the field.”

Hempfield unleashed 14 of its total 19 shots in the second half. On top of her game throughout, Ulrich logged nine saves.

The Little Dutchmen’s only corner kick of the contest came with 15:30 remaining.

“Game after game, we need to reach for our goal, which is to play our perfect game,” said Myers. “Our goal is to win the next game (in districts).

“I’m not sure we can get to that perfect game,” he concluded. “But it’s something to focus on, and it takes the focus away from opponents.”

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